


Berkeley Square

by Vanessa_Cocotea



Category: Doctor Who (TV Movie 1996)
Genre: Adventure, Gen, Historical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-20
Updated: 2013-09-20
Packaged: 2017-12-27 04:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/974212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanessa_Cocotea/pseuds/Vanessa_Cocotea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From 2007:</p><p>Grace's first adventure in the TARDIS. She and the Doctor travel to London 1942 and experience the home front during WWII. Experiences include a fair amount of breaking and entering, the Ghost of Number 50, freaking out the staff at the Ritz, helping with the WVS - including threats of weird alien cheese and, later at a teashop, a classic remark about women that finds the Doctor covered in embarrassment and that sends Grace into gales of laughter - despite her injuries.</p><p>Part one of a four-part series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Berkeley Square - Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This series is my "Magnum Opus". It's become something of an obsession in my life. That whole period has a lot of meaning for me. And, by default, this whole series also has a lot of meaning for me. It was a joy to do.
> 
> This is a literary tribute to one of my favourite songs - "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" ( particularly, Rod Stewart's version! ). It took me the better part of two months to do. I'd originally done this story as one long story. Then LJ protested it was too long and so I randomly broke it up into eight parts for posting at my LJ. Here, though, I've decided to post it as a two-parter.
> 
> Many people have done first adventures in the TARDIS for Grace. This is mine. 
> 
> Credits: "Goodnight Sweetheart" TV series (for "permission" to take liberties for the sake of dramatic effect), the "Home Sweet Homefront" website, The English Companion by Godfrey Smith, the movie "Tommy", "The Cockney" - a book by Julian Franklyn, The Vegetarian Society of the UK (via Vegetarian Times magazine) and my own knowledge gained over many decades!

London 1942

They walked into Reception. "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" could be heard from the Palm Court. Grace looked round. The Ritz didn't look *that* much different to what it did in her time - apart from the blackout hiding the light from the windows. She turned to the Doctor and was about to ask him something, when he dashed over to a flight of nearby steps.

"Yes! I've just got to do this during this bit of the song coming up." He poised himself at the bottom of the steps in readiness and grinned at Grace. "I love doing this!"

"Doing what?" Grace enquired, giving him a curious look.

"Dancing up and down the steps during the Fred Astaire bit, of course!"

"Doctor? I...I...I think I'll join you!" She grinned. Next thing, the pair of them were "side-stepping" up and down the steps near Reception to "Our homeward step was just as light as the tapdancing feet of Astaire..". It was nuts and not a little fun, but they caught the Concierge's expression and decided they'd best not continue. They headed towards the Palm Court and were halted by the Maitre'd's voice.

"May I enquire as to whether Sir and Madam have a reservation?"

The Doctor gave the man one of his most persuasive looks. "No, we don't. Does it really matter? Could we have a nice window table, please?" He pulled a 250 gram bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk out of his pocket and offered it to the Maitre'd, who surreptitiously slipped it into his pocket with a slight smile and a slight nod. The Doctor replied in kind. The Maitre'd knew he shouldn't take it, but he had four children, after all. However, he made no move to seat them.

"I'm afraid, Sir, there is still the matter of Madam's attire. Even in wartime, standards must be maintained. I'm afraid Madam's trousers are quite inappropriate in the public areas of the Ritz. If Sir and Madam would care to wait, I will speak with the Concierge to see if more suitable attire can be arranged. Madam is not expected to return home during a raid to change, but I cannot seat her without proper attire, either. If you'll excuse me." He turned to leave, when the Doctor reached into his pocket.

"I'm afraid, Sir, that I cannot accept another chocolate bar..." He started to say, when the Doctor interrupted him.

"I think I can solve the dilemma with this. I wasn't sure if you'd need this, Grace, but thought I'd better bring it along on the off-chance." He grinned, and from out of his capacious pockets, he pulled a simple, but elegant gown he'd got from the TARDIS wardrobe - and silk stockings and evening shoes! Grace gasped! She would never stop being surprised by that man!

"Oh, Doctor! It's lovely! Thank you!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and turned to the startled Maitre'd. "Where's the nearest Ladies?" He gestured weakly. "Thank you." She left to change. The Doctor grinned at the Maitre'd's expression, but, like Mary Poppins, didn't feel compelled to explain. After all, what was life without a little mystery? If he'd been asked, though, he would have said he'd bought it in America.

********

"Well, Grace, is there anywhere - or any time, you'd like to go for your first trip in the TARDIS?" The Doctor's ice blue eyes twinkled at her.

Grace considered. "Um...ah...Oh, just surprise me, Doctor, okay? But nothing too weird or dangerous, please. Right now, I just want to see this time-travel thing work." She gave him a very enigmatic smile.

The Doctor tilted his head and looked at her, smiling in that dangerous way of his. He felt for something in his pockets. Grace looked at him curiously, but he said nothing as he set the coordinates. That done, he grinned at her. "Be right back." He took off towards the rest of the TARDIS.

He came back a moment later with something behind his back. Just then the dematerialisation noise started up. They'd landed. Grace stared at him quizzically, as he carefully backed up to the console to open the TARDIS doors.

"After you." He smiled. As Grace reached the open doors, the Doctor smiled, handed her a small carton with a shoulder strap, and said, "Here, I think you might need this." She looked inside the carton. It was a gas mask. She looked at the Doctor. He smiled and ushered her through the doors. "Welcome to London 1942, Grace!" He carefully watched her reaction. Open-mouthed amazement. They saw rubble all over and scores of half-standing buildings everywhere. Sandbags were piled up in many places as well. Firefighters were putting out a few lingering flames.

There were women standing next to the firefighters, literally hand feeding them small bite-sized sandwiches. The Doctor told Grace, as they walked along, that the women had started doing this because the firefighters would get on a roll and get so obsessed with putting out fires, that they would not stop to rest or eat. They would fight the fires till they, literally, dropped from exhaustion. So, a group of women, "The Women's Voluntary Service" - the "WVS", had got together and made very small sandwiches and stood by the men and hand fed them, forcing them to take breaks and thus keep up their strength, mentally and physically, so they could do their best at fighting the fires.

"That is amazing that the women would take such a risk. But, I can see why. It's a very good, very brave solution. Amazing spirit. Amazing. But I did say, no place dangerous, Doctor. London isn't exactly a paradise at the moment, is it?" He was just about to answer, when the sirens went off. They ran for shelter.

"In here." The Doctor grabbed Grace's hand and they went into - the Ritz! Grace had a suspicion that was where the Doctor was intending to go all along. She was gazing round when she heard the Doctor shout, "Yes!" He was poised at the bottom of some nearby steps.

********

Grace returned, looking very stunning indeed. The Doctor smiled appreciatively.

"Grace, you look lovely! May I?" He offered her his arm.

"Thank you, Doctor!" She took his arm and they got ready to go into dinner at the Ritz.

"If you would care to step this way, please?" The Maitre'd started to show them to a table. "And, if I may say, Madam looks most enchanting." He smiled. Grace grinned, "Thank you." The Maitre'd showed them to a table by a window. Grace rolled her eyes. A table by a blacked-out window. "Cute, Doctor. Real cute." She thought. The Doctor, the perfect gentleman, pulled out her chair. Then when she was seated, he seated himself.

The Maitre'd handed the Doctor the wine list. "If Sir would care to look at the wine list."

********

During dinner, the Doctor and Grace discussed many things. Grace discovered that it was the chocolate bar that the Doctor had felt for in his pocket. He'd had a feeling that chocolate would come in handy. It was a rare commodity during wartime. He also explained that he'd got her dress and things when he'd gone off to get the gas masks - which they still wore slung diagonally across their shoulders. Being the Ritz, it was unlikely that even the war would cause standards to be relaxed, but he wasn't sure. At the moment, Grace's trousers and other shoes and stockings resided in the Doctor's pockets. She would change back when they left as she didn't want to damage such a beautiful gown clambering round rubble-strewn London. Then she asked,

"Why London 1942, Doctor?"

"I thought you might like to see firsthand how people coped in wartime. It might help, should we find ourselves in danger on some distant planet. It's very inspirational being here. Do you know that people helped save St. Paul's Cathedral by actually clambering over all over the outside of the Cathedral and flinging burning pieces of wood off with their bare hands! They refused any reward - apart from a cup of tea. As you said, "Amazing spirit!". Also, I just thought you might simply find it an interesting period." He grinned at her.

Grace was amazed and fascinated. She hadn't heard about how people helped save St. Paul's. "That is incredible! Incredible. How do you learn all these things, Doctor?"

He grinned. "I have been here once or twice before. I helped with St. Paul's." He added, modestly. "If you were careful, you could avoid getting badly injured. Just pick up the end that wasn't burning and fling it off out of harm's way. But I don't think those people would have been stopped by a few minor injuries. Mercifully, I didn't hear of any major ones. Fate must have been on their side then."

They spent some time talking about lighter subjects after that. It was an excellent dinner and there was some very fine wine. Towards the end of the meal, the Doctor stopped to listen.

"Dr. Holloway? May I have this dance?"

She smiled. "Of course, Doctor!" He led her onto the dance floor and they danced to "The Nearness Of You." It was delightful. Grace was the envy of many women there, what with her gown and her charming and exceedingly handsome gentleman companion. She was going to hate to see it end. But an hour or two later, after Grace had changed and her gown and things were back in the Doctor's pockets, they left.

They were just going out the door when they heard the "all-clear" siren. They looked at each other a little nervously. They'd been so caught up in their evening at the Ritz that they'd forgot all about the raid! They hadn't even heard the sound of bombs and aeroplanes in the distance, they were that caught up in the magic of the evening! Which, in a way, was a good thing. It did people's morale good to get away from the war - if only for a few hours. That must also have been why the Concierge had cautioned them to, "Mind how you go, now!" as they left. They headed towards Berkeley Square for a walk.

********

The Square was nice, if quite dark. There were no lights, of course, but Grace felt safe with the Doctor. If anyone could keep her safe, he could. And it needn't be a long walk, anyway. They strolled along the pavement by the Square. The Doctor, of course, had excellent night vision, so Grace let him lead the way. They walked hand in hand, just talking. The Doctor told her all manner of fascinating things about life during the war. Stories about how vegetarians were given extra ration books for lentils and cheese and how bread was about the only thing that wasn't rationed. Although it wasn't of particularly good quality, one could have as much of it as one liked. Then she had to laugh, when he told her that, after the war, the government had started to ration bread! Typical! He told her about the furore that THAT had caused! She could imagine! They both had a good laugh over that one! He told her about the people's pride in their city. How people from all walks of life cared about the safety of everyone and anyone in the city. How poor people worried even about the safety of the wealthy people whose parlours alone were bigger than many poor folks' entire homes. The "Spirit of the Blitz" was very real. People really pulled together. Grace was amazed. She was glad that the Doctor had brought her here. It was an experience she would never forget. It was quite a nice walk, especially when, at one point, the Doctor, still holding Grace's left hand, raised it to his lips and gave the back of it a gentle kiss.

"Glad I brought you here, Grace?" He asked.

"Oh, yes! It's all very fascinating and you make a great history teacher! Of course, I expect, sooner or later, we'll run into some difficulty. There is a war on, after all." She looked up at the sound of footsteps. The Doctor looked to see what had caught her attention.

They saw a police constable approaching in their direction, his tissue paper-covered torch pointing downwards. The Doctor raised his hand in greeting.

"Hello, Officer! Lovely night, eh?" The constable's torch flicked up a very slight way for a split second.

"Evening, Madam, Sir. Lovely, eh? Not that I've noticed, Sir. I take it you and your Missus are heading home? I should do so, sharpish. There have been raids off and on all day and night. Very active the Gerrys are tonight, Sir. Very active."

The Doctor and Grace barely concealed slight smiles at the constable's "You and your Missus", but thought it best to let it slide.

"We've just finished dinner at the Ritz and since the "all-clear" sounded, and the weather's so pleasant, we thought we'd just take a bit of a stroll round Berkeley Square. Maybe take a walk through the Square itself."

"Ah, now then, Sir, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Since there's been some trouble there the last few nights and, for safety's sake, we can't allow anyone inside. Hence the patrols. Sure you and the lady understand."

The Doctor looked at him (and his following words made Grace inwardly groan, thinking, "Where have I heard that before?") and said, "You can't just bend the rules a little?" The constable shook his head, but the Doctor wasn't about to give up. "Aww, but, you see, I..."

"No. Sorry, Sir, but I can't let you in. Safe journey home to you and your good lady! And mind how you go, now! Remember - wait - count 15 - then go slowly!" He said, echoing the Concierge's words, and with that, he left to continue his rounds.

"Good night, Officer!" They called. The Doctor seemed quite disappointed. He also seemed to be considering something.

"Never mind, Doctor. We can still walk around the Square." They walked for a few more feet, when the Doctor suddenly stopped, looked round and hissed, "Come on!" He fashioned his hands to give Grace a bunk-up. "Ladies first!"

"Doctor! You're not serious?! Over the railing and sneak in? What if we get caught?" She chuckled. She thought it was daft, but fun.

"We won't get caught." He grinned, impishly. "We'll hide. Come on! Up you go!"

"You're daft, you know that, don't you?" She laughed as she put her foot into the Doctor's stirrupped hands. She landed safely on the other side. "Bloody hell! This is fun!" She quipped, knowing the Doctor would recognise the quote. He did. He landed beside her.

"Notting Hill 1999, right?" He grinned. "For the illegal entry and the quote, right?" He grinned, then gently admonished her. "Seriously, though, Grace. You should watch your language. The word, "bloody", carries a bit more weight in this time than it does in yours. Remember Eliza Doolittle? Even in the late thirties, Wendy Hiller still shocked the daylights out of everyone in the film, "Pygmalion" with her "Not bloody likely! I'm going in a taxi!""

Grace laughed. "Yes, I do. And by the time of 1964's "My Fair Lady", the word's impact had weakened to the point where Audrey Hepburn had to be given a new way to shock people. I loved her portrayal of Eliza, especially her way of catching a man. She ought to write a book, "Eliza Doolittle's Guide To Catching A Man.""

"Oh?" The Doctor grinned at her, quizzically. "And what would her instructions be, then?"

Grace laughed, then declaimed. "Ahem. Start by giving him hell for bumping into you and knocking you over, then use his name in the process - even though you haven't been introduced, and make him think you're psychic or something. Then when next you meet, give him strange weather reports of foreign lands and discuss weird medical practises involving your equally weird relatives. And you must, absolutely must, swear at his horse in public! "Come on, Dover! Move your bloomin' ass!" By this time, he'll be parked outside your door, refusing to leave. You finish up by giving him hell for talking too much, then refuse to shut up yourself. Next, cause him to fall over a barrel and, finally, leave him freezing in a taxi! And, voila'! He's yours - hook, line and sinker!" Grace finished, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes.

The Doctor was laughing quite heartily himself. "Well, full marks for imagination, Eliza! Put like that, it's extremely funny! Well told, Grace!" They strolled along in companionable silence. Grace noticed the Doctor had started quietly humming. She immediately recognised the tune, "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square".

She told the Doctor, "I can see why that song became so popular. It is very romantic. Very lovely. Nineteen-thirties, isn't it?"

The Doctor stopped humming. "Mm-mm. Written in 1940. Lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin. Debut in the musical, "New Faces". 1940. Ray Noble first sang it that year, followed the same year by Vera Lynn. Does that answer your question?" He smiled.

Grace laughed. "Absolutely! You ARE a fount of knowledge, aren't you, Doctor?" He bowed modestly. "So," Grace continued, "they were playing a recording of Vera Lynn doing the song in the film, "Empire of the Sun", right?"

"No, that was a lady called, Elizabeth Welch."

"Oh. Right. Got it. Like I said, "a fount of knowledge". They had completed their walk through Berkeley Square, the Doctor had given Grace another bunk-up and they both had just landed safely on the pavement when...

...several things happened simultaneously. The most incredibly surreal noise issued from one of the buildings across the street, causing Grace to jump sky-high and nearly crash into a figure who suddenly loomed up behind her. "Ahhhh!" She screamed. The Doctor was pretty jumpy himself. He whirled round attempting to locate the source of the dreadful noise. He froze when he saw strange lights flickering from the same building causing all the racket. Both he and Grace jumped and she leapt into the Doctor's arms when the figure behind them spoke.

"Ah, that would be the ghost from number 50 Berkeley Square. He's in fine form tonight. Sounds right hungry, he does. Hungry for mischief. Sir, you really should take your good lady home double quick. I've never heard of him coming out of the building, but you both should nip on home now. His speciality is gruesome traumatic deaths. Right help to the Gerrys, that one is. My apologies, Ma'am, Sir, if I frightened you earlier. And, now, may I ask just what the pair of you are doing still here?" The constable from earlier eyed them suspiciously. Grace looked at the Doctor. He had stated quite categorically that he didn't "believe in ghosts". However, he was listening to the constable as though he was prepared to be open-minded about this particular "ghost".

The Doctor replied, almost managing to sound contrite, "Sorry, Officer, I'm afraid we got rather caught up in a bit of a history lesson." He finished, not wishing to go into detail. "We were just about to leave as it happens." He winked at Grace. "A "ghostly lunatic" would not exactly suit our plans now, would it, my dear?" Grace replied with, "Certainly not, darling!" The constable, who didn't realise they were partially taking the mickey out of him, was about to reiterate his instructions to them to "go home" when...

...the sirens went off. Barely waving goodbye, the Doctor grabbed Grace's hand and they ran for cover. They ran, with great difficulty, for several blocks, dodging all manner of obstacles - fortunately, not including any dead bodies. They had run for some time, when they ran into another group of women feeding firefighters. They looked at each other with the same thought on both their minds. They headed in the direction of the group.

********

The Doctor spoke to the nearest woman, who was cutting sandwiches. "Excuse me, madam, but would you like some help?"

The woman looked extremely grateful. "Oh, yes, thank you, Sir! We could indeed do with a bit of help!"

"Right, then." The Doctor smiled and introduced himself and Grace, "Just tell us what to do." The woman gestured to a hamper. "Sir, could you take that to the church hall just across the road and get it refilled. We running out of sandwich paste and suchlike. Here, just a minute." She piled some used plates and knives into the hamper. As the Doctor picked it up to take it to the hall, she said, "Thanks ever so, ducks! And, BE CAREFUL as you cross the road! Now, Miss - Grace, isn't it?" Grace nodded. "Grace, dear, would you relieve Maisie over there?" She pointed. Grace smiled, "I'll be glad to." "Thanks, love!" Grace moved off with a fresh plate of sandwiches for some firefighters working on dousing a blaze at a chemist's.

It was very hard and dangerous work as the Doctor and Grace soon found out. They soon had an incredible respect for these brave women and, of course, the firefighters. It was quite cold out, but as the Doctor wasn't as affected by the cold as much as everyone else and he would get quite warm with all the "fetching and carrying" he'd volunteered to do, he gave his velvet frock coat to Grace. It wasn't all that much too big for her. She needed only to carefully roll the sleeves up once. She gave him a quick kiss of gratitude, before taking yet another plate of sandwiches out for the firefighters.

It really took some skill to feed them as Grace soon found out. If she wasn't dodging the swerving fire hoses, she was tangling with firemen who wouldn't open their mouths. She was seriously considering using one of the Doctor's favourite techniques and tickling one man, when he finally opened his mouth! She was glad to have a break and work cutting sandwiches for a few minutes. The women worked on a rota basis doing the feeding, making the sandwiches and tea (or coffee). They kept the Doctor incredibly busy as well. He seemed to be spending most of his time bringing the tea and coffee urns back and forth. It was all in an excellent cause and neither he nor Grace minded a bit. They were glad to help.

The Doctor was just bringing through the latest urn of coffee, when there came an almighty crash a few blocks down the road. A warehouse had been bombed. Dust and smoke were everywhere! They could hear screams of surprise. Another division of the fire service could be heard making for the area. The women and Grace and the Doctor started frantically covering things. Everyone was coughing - even the Doctor was coughing a bit, despite his respiratory by-pass system.

When she'd stopped coughing, Grace started looking from the sandwiches to the bombed area a ways away and back to the sandwiches. Maisie was working beside her and instantly realised what Grace was thinking.

"No need to worry, dear, there are a number of groups on "sandwich detail". Gracious, Grace! Surely, you didn't think just one group of us could handle things all over London, now did you?" Maisie smiled at Grace.

Grace smiled. "No, of course, I didn't. I was just thinking, since things seem to be getting under control here, we might offer our help. It's not that far away and between the light from the fires and the white lines painted in the streets, we should be able to find our way."

"That's very kind of you, dear, but they'll have it under control. We were very grateful the pair of you turned up as a few of our ladies are in hospital. Nothing serious, just minor injuries. One was in giving birth! She had twins! One of each! Mother and babies doing well. She went into hospital as there was a slight complication. But all is well, thank goodness!"

In the meantime, the Doctor was doing a splendid job of keeping up morale. He had thoroughly charmed all the women and the firefighters as well - when the latter could be persuaded to take a break, that was! The women fell in love with him. They thought he was gorgeous with his elegant attire and his lovely tousled shoulder-length chestnut curls, which they insisted on making even more tousled by ruffling them at every opportunity! They thought he looked like a romantic poet. He kept everyone entertained by telling stories, singing and telling jokes - including one or two mildly naughty ones! The ladies laughed delightedly, even though they couldn't help blushing! Grace grinned, thinking, "That's my Doctor!" The Doctor had just started telling them about the time he had to bathe a drunken pirate - wisely refraining from mentioning that it was an incident from the future - when one of the firefighters shouted, "Look out! She's sprung a leak!"

It was chaos. One of the firehoses had indeed sprung a leak and was on the ground, weaving madly back and forth. It looked like an angry snake. Several people were tripped by the errant hosepipe and were tumbled to the ground, dazed. The firemen had a real job dealing with the dazed people and the damaged hosepipe. The Doctor abandoned the urn he was about to carry to the hall and dashed over to help. They had find a way to fix it as every one was needed to fight the fires. It hadn't been the first leak of the evening and it took searching through the supplies of more than one truck to find the necessary repair equipment. The firehoses had seen plenty of exercise that day and night and were feeling their age. They couldn't be replaced fast enough. Fortunately, over all, they seemed to be holding up well enough while replacement hoses were gradually being fitted. After what seemed like an age, the repairs were done and the firehose was back in service. Mercifully, no one was seriously injured, as Grace had confirmed when she performed a bit of first aid. But the group was temporarily short-handed again as the injured people were taken to hospital to be looked at more extensively. A couple of them came back very shortly and one of them - one of the women, quipped,

"Typical. Just when you finally get to enjoy yourself, " Here she glanced at the Doctor and smiled at him. "fate comes along and mucks up your fun!" Everyone laughed, including the Doctor, even though he blushed a little. He made a little bow, saying, "Glad to help!" Then they all went back to work, relieving the exhausted few who hadn't stopped working throughout the whole firehose incident.

It took another hour or so to get the various blazes under control and they were all very grateful when the "all-clear" siren went off. For once, the Doctor did not sneak away without saying goodbye. Grace caught up with him just as he was giving the group of women a recipe for cocoa that involved putting the dry ingredients into little bags made of silk muslin or other suitable material, just like tea bags. "Then you steep the bags in the hot milk and - voila! None of those horrid little bits of powder left in your mug that refuse to be stirred up!" He grinned at them. They stared at him in awe. Grace could tell, he was loving all the attention - the rascal! But she knew she had to get him away, for several reasons. Firstly, these people were exhausted and should be getting home to their families and, secondly, he'd started to talk about "Blue Tersurus" cheese and how it would make a truly different sort of Welsh Rarebit! Grace was not a little surprised. He'd told her about that cheese. Smelliest cheese in the galaxy! What was he thinking?

"Doctor, I really think we should be leaving." She said. "We should let these people get home to their families, shouldn't we?" She gave him a rather unusual look. He looked back at her, clearly confused about the look she was giving him, but thoroughly understanding that the people needed to get home to their families. "Yes, of course. We should be getting home as well." The final goodbyes took a good ten minutes, but the Doctor and Grace finally parted from their new friends, being reminded, yet again, to mind how they went. When they were out of earshot, he turned to her and asked,

"Why were you looking at me so strangely back there?"

"Whatever possessed you to want to mention that awful cheese? You told me about it, remember? I assume you've got some somewhere in the TARDIS, presumably in a deep vault! Surely, you wouldn't have suggested going back to the TARDIS, getting some and subjecting those poor people to that horrid stuff?" She gave him a questioning look.

"It wouldn't have been any trouble. I've got the recall device in my pocket. I could have got the TARDIS here in seconds and had her park in an alley nearby." Grace started to say something, but the Doctor interrupted her, smiling, "I know - the cheese. Don't worry. It's actually quite tasty and it doesn't smell that much worse than Gruyere or any other smelly earthly cheese. I could have given them some chlorophyll tablets for their breath. I always like to introduce people to new experiences as you might have noticed." He grinned. "And the war doesn't provide many *good* new experiences, does it, now?"

"No, not many. I have so much admiration for these people! They just get on with it, just deal with the problems as they come up! And the incredible spirit they have never seems to waver. But even so, Doctor, a highly smelly cheese? Ugh! Couldn't you have thought of something else?" She looked at him quizzically.

He was just able to say, "Possibly...", when the air raid siren went off again! The police constable hadn't exaggerated! The Germans were very active tonight! "Come on!" As they ran, the Doctor whisked the recall device out of his pocket. They'd just turned a corner - Grace turning first, when the edges of the buildings on either side crumbled, separating the Doctor and Grace! Side-effects from another bombed building - not all that far away.

 

********

"GRACE!!" The Doctor shouted. No answer... He shouted again. Still no answer. "No...no...not again!" He murmured, tears welling up. He'd lost her once already. He couldn't lose her a second time. He considered actually climbing the rubble to see how she was, but remembered the recall device. The TARDIS had equipment to deal safely with the rubble. After she'd brought them into London earlier, he'd sent the TARDIS back to a secluded part of Hampstead Heath, as he didn't want any mix-ups with the regular police boxes. A mix-up like that might put lives in danger. He tried the device. It didn't work. Something seemed to be jamming it. He was getting panicky and there didn't seem to be anyone about. He remembered seeing a police box a block or so back. He considered dashing back to it to summon help. There had been so many raids that night it seemed that people had just taken to remaining in the shelters, so there was no one about to go for him. He called to Grace again. No answer. As the rubble wasn't that high, he decided to chance climbing it. He knew it was dangerous, but he had to see about Grace. With great care, he started climbing. He'd just got near enough the top and saw a whitish figure lying crumpled, just beyond the rubble. Grace was covered in debris. She lay still, but there was no blood, so the Doctor hoped she might not be too badly injured, just unconscious. He had to get help. The rubble had to be removed. He also noticed the other end of the street was blocked with rubble as well. Grace was penned in. He started to climb down when he slipped, crying, "Ahhhh!" and tumbling all the way down to the pavement, to make a somewhat inelegant three-point landing. "Ow!" He cried. However, as only his dignity was injured, he was off as fast as he'd dared go to the police box he'd noticed earlier. He was terrified of additional collapses.

Help arrived shortly to find him frantically pacing the pavement. The Doctor quickly explained about Grace. He got a mild wigging for climbing the rubble, but the officers had to agree it was probably worth it as the Doctor had given them important information. With several men, including the Doctor, working, the rubble was cleared quite quickly. The Doctor raced over to Grace.

"GRACE!!". He knelt to her chest, pushing away the medics. She was still unconscious and the Doctor refused to let the medics near her until he'd tried one more thing. The kiss of life. He brushed the dust from her face and started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He worked for several minutes and very slowly she started to breathe. "She's breathing!" He cried, tears of relief in his eyes. "Thank goodness!" He hugged Grace to his chest so tightly it was a wonder he didn't suffocate her!

"Sir? Please, we need to check her over."

The Doctor looked at them happily. "Oh, right. Of course!" He reluctantly let go of Grace. Then they heard her cough.

"I'm fine. Really, I am! Just a headache. I'll be fine. What happened, anyway?" She looked round and saw the remains of the collapsed edges of the two buildings. "Oh." She turned even whiter. "Oh my God!"

"Miss, we need to check you over. Head injuries are nothing to take lightly. They can be..."

"I'm fine! Honestly! I am a doctor, you know!" She felt her head and muttered, "Ow!'

The Doctor started to say, "And the worst kind of patie..."

Grace held up a hand. "Don't say it! Please! Just don't say it, okay?" She gave him a slightly exasperated smile. She felt her head again. It hurt dreadfully. "I'm going to have one hell of a bump. Ugh!" She muttered ruefully.

"Okay. I won't say it. But, Grace, please let the nice doctors check you over, all right?"

"Oh, all right! But I think we should be getting home, don't you?" She let the medics give her the once-over.

"Well, miss, you seem to be all right. Just once more, please. How many fingers?" The medic held up four fingers.

Grace grinned and said, "26." The Doctor facepalmed. He looked at the paramedic, smiling.

"She's fine." He turned back to Grace. "You should get properly checked over though, Grace. We do have a long way to go to get home and we don't know exactly what we'll be up against. I want to be sure you truly are all right. Like the man said, 'Head injuries are nothing to take lightly'."

"I know, I know. But I'm fine! Let's go, okay, Doctor? Sadly, I'm sure these people have far more seriously injured people to worry about. How about this? If I start to feel really woozy or anything, I promise I'll let you take me in to a hospital for a check-up, all right?"

The Doctor looked sceptical, but agreed. "All right. But if I notice anything amiss, in you go!"

"Deal." The medics left a little reluctantly, but they knew how stubborn doctors could be about their own health and well-being and they were sure the Doctor would keep an eye on Grace and make sure she got to hospital, if necessary.

The Doctor helped Grace to her feet. They spent the next few minutes brushing each other down. Grace managed, with the Doctor's help, to get virtually all the dust out of his hair and off his velvet coat.

*******

They had been slowly heading towards Hampstead Heath where the TARDIS was waiting. It had been quiet for some time. It had been a couple of hours since the last "all-clear". Grace was amazed to find that it was only about 1am. So much had happened since they'd walked into the Ritz, it seemed like it should be near dawn. The Doctor spotted an ABC. The blackout was still up at the windows.

"Grace, do you fancy a cup of tea?"

"That would be marvelous, Doctor! I'm exhausted!"

A few seconds' work with the sonic screwdriver and they went in through the double set of doors that were designed to keep the light from inside from being detected outside. The Doctor switched on the lights, expecting almost to find the place looking like the "Marie Celeste", but it was quite tidy inside.

"Have a seat, Grace, while I make us some tea and toast." He headed towards the kitchen area. In a few minutes, he brought over a tray loaded with a pot of tea and a plate stacked with toast.

"You told me earlier that bread wasn't rationed during the war, but what about tea? We aren't going to cause too much trouble, are we?" Grace asked.

"Well, in a way, rationing doesn't really apply to us and I'll leave a note and the money in an envelope to pay for everything in the till. The owners, who don't seem to be on the premises or they would have acknowledged us by now, should be fine. Don't worry. Besides, every person is allowed 2oz. of tea per week. One small pot for the two of us is well under that."

"That makes me feel a little better, I guess. Technically, we were "breaking and entering", again. It's getting to be a habit, Doctor. First, Berkeley Square and now here. Reminds me of that scene in the 1976 version of "King Kong", where Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges are making their way through ape-devastated New York and they stop in a deserted bar to have a drink. Except, I don't think we have to worry about any giant apes - just air raids. What are you doing?" She looked at the Doctor, who had taken the recall device out of his pocket and had taken the cover off and was examining it.

"I thought this would be a good time to see if I can get this to work. Otherwise, we'll have a long and dangerous walk back to the TARDIS. Have you a hairpin about you?"

"No, sorry."

"Oh, well. I was hoping to examine this in detail...just a minute...I think I have something that will work quite nicely." He reached into the inside breast pocket of his velvet coat and pulled out his spectacle repair kit. He removed the tiny screwdriver, took his glasses from another pocket, put them on and got to work.

"By the way, how are you feeling, Grace?"

"All right. Just getting incredibly tired. I can't believe it's only just past 1am. By the time we make it back to the TARDIS - assuming we do, I shall sleep all day tomorrow."

"Assuming we make it back?? Grace, have you no confidence in me? I will do everything I can to get us safely back to the TARDIS and we'll both sleep all day tomorrow!" He looked in dismay at the recall device. "I'm beginning to wonder if, somehow the German planes have jammed this or something." He frowned, then looked up at her. "Don't forget, Grace, when we get back to the TARDIS, I intend to give you a good seeing-to."

Grace immediately spluttered out the mouthful of tea she'd just taken. "WHAT did you just say????" She laughingly gaped at him, then stopped and put a hand to her head. "Ow." It hurt when she laughed.

The Doctor looked at her quizzically. "What? What do you mean, what did I just..." He paused, realising, "Ohhhh!" He groaned, giving her an embarrassed sort of smile. "Sorry." He blushed. "That didn't come out quite right, did it?" She shook her head, slowly, and grinned at him, unable to quite stop laughing - even though it hurt to do so. He replied, still embarrassed. "I meant I wanted to give you a good check-up!" He shook his head, smiling a little ruefully, but he couldn't help chuckling a little, himself.

Grace smiled, "I know that." But she just couldn't resist adding, "Not that I'd mind a good seeing-to, Doctor," She paused. "but, I've got a headache." She grinned wickedly.

The Doctor groaned, then laughed. "Ohh, Grace!" He chuckled as he continued to try to sort out the recall device. "You know, that has got to be one of the few times a woman has said that and it's been true!" They both laughed, though Grace did it very carefully.

They continued talking for a bit. The Doctor told her all sorts of things about the two best known teashops - ABC and Lyon's. He told her about the "Nippies", the Lyon's waitresses who moved very quickly - hence, their name. That was before the war and before Lyon's went to cafeteria service. He told her that the Lyon's teashops lasted till the 1970s and ABCs till the 1980s. Grace found it all fascinating.

When the Doctor had finally decided to give up on the device for the moment, he asked her, "Would you like some more tea? Or toast?"

"A little more tea, please. I was just thinking about what one of the women from earlier was telling me. She said that the city had been very fortunate so far tonight, in that there had been few deaths and few injuries. Let's hope their luck holds out." Grace said when the Doctor had come back with more tea.

"I certainly agree with that. We will be needing a bit of luck ourselves tonight as well. We should get going after we've finished our tea. The planes have been quiet for too long. I have a feeling they're not done for the night and this is not a proper shelter. I don't even see any Morrison shelters about. They're a cage sort of shelter that some people used in their homes." The Doctor explained.

"I know what you're talking about, Doctor. Ann-Margret used one of those in the film, "Tommy"." She put her cup on the saucer. "I'm finished, Doctor. Let's go." The Doctor found an envelope and a pencil in one of his pockets and left a note and sufficient money in the till and they left the shop.

To be continued...


	2. Berkeley Square - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Grace continue on with their journey through war-torn London...

Grace was extremely grateful for the Doctor's excellent night vision. It was a dangerous job trying to make their way in the dark and constantly stumbling over assorted rubble. When there wasn't actually a raid on, it was so very still, so very quiet. Thus far, they hadn't even seen any more people, including any more constables. Grace found it very disturbing. The Doctor also found it a little curious and not a little disturbing.

At one point, the Doctor stopped. He was looking at a blacked-out and deserted corner shop.

"I was just thinking, we should probably..." He took out his sonic screwdriver and got to work. "Come on." He led the way through the double set of doors into the pitch black shop.

"What are we doing in here, Doctor?" Grace enquired nervously.

"I was just thinking we should be prepared for a long walk home to the TARDIS, as that appears to be highly likely. We should pick up a few supplies - biscuits, chocolate, whatever suitable things we can find. I'll just leave a note and money like we did at the teashop. I still have an envelope or two about me." He grinned at her. He found a small candle and matches on a shelf and lit the candle. They looked round the shop, finding very little they felt safe buying. The Doctor didn't want to leave the shop owner with nothing of any one item. In the end, they did find some biscuits and a couple of chocolate bars and a couple of bottles of orange juice. The Doctor also found a shelf with a few haversacks on offer. He chose one and then after paying and blowing out the candle, they left to continue their trek home.

The Doctor repeated the procedure at several shops and had amassed quite a few supplies. Grace was sure he had more in mind than just keeping them fed during a long and difficult journey. She was right. The Doctor was also right - about the Germans. It wasn't long before another air raid siren went off. It was a good half mile to the first shelter they could find and the first people they'd seen in over an hour. They were preceded into the shelter by a family with four young children in pyjamas. They recognised the Maitre'd from the Ritz.

"Well, hello there!" The Doctor called.

The Maitre'd whirled round in disbelief to see the Doctor and Grace grinning at him. "I'm sorry, I don't...Oh, yes! Now I remember. The Ritz, last evening. Darling," He turned to his wife, "this is the gentleman I told you of earlier. Doctor, isn't it?"

"Yes, and this is my best friend, Dr. Grace Holloway. I'm sorry, though, we didn't catch your name." They followed the Maitre'd and his family into the tube station/shelter.

"McGivern, Arthur McGivern. Doctor, Miss Holloway - sorry, ma'am - Dr. Holloway, may I present my wife, Agnes and our children - Abigail, Aileen, Alice and Alexander".

"Hello!" The Doctor and Grace chorused. Twelve-year-old Alexander had a rather disgruntled look on his face.

"Why am I always introduced last? I'm the oldest." He grumbled.

His mum, Agnes, answered, "Because, darling, it's traditional. Ladies first, remember?"

"Oh. All right. I thought it was because they were triplets." He said, with a child's logic. His eight-year-old sisters giggled. The adults chuckled. Children had a very unique way of looking at things, sometimes refreshing, like now - and sometimes, a bit alarming.

"Now that we've got that sorted and we've found a spot to rest," Arthur said, cheerfully, "I'm glad for the opportunity for you to meet the kind gentleman who gave me this." He pulled the chocolate bar the Doctor had given him out of his pocket. The children's eyes lit up and even Mrs. McGivern looked hopefully at the giant bar of chocolate.

Little Aileen spoke up first. "Thank you, Sir!" The other children echoed her words.

The Doctor smiled, "You're very welcome! And, please, you may call me, Doctor, and this is Grace. All right?"

Four young voices replied, "All right." But their eyes were definitely on the chocolate - and so were the eyes of the other children in the shelter. Some started to shyly wander over. The McGivern children looked a bit alarmed at first, then each wore a look that distinctly said, "We'll share if we have to, but we won't like it!" The Doctor clearly knew what they were thinking.

"Don't worry, I can help." He pulled a couple of smaller bars of chocolate out of a nearby child's jacket sleeve, startling the poor little lad, and started to distribute pieces to the other children in the shelter. The first one went to his little impromptu magician's assistant.

Grace looked at him, rather proudly. "So that's why you bought far more than we'd need for supplies, right? You knew it might help calm the fears of any children we'd see in shelters. You old softie, you!"

The Doctor said, modestly, "Always helps to be prepared." Everyone settled down as best they could for duration of the raid.

********

The Doctor soon had a group of children round him. He was telling them stories and had them completely enraptured - along with many of the adults. He told them tales of his adventures - identifying the stories as ones he'd read as a boy in a place in Ireland called "Gallifrey". Grace grinned at that. After a few clean jokes, he sang the children to sleep with a few Gallifreyan lullabies he'd also remembered from his "childhood in Ireland". It had actually become somewhat warm in the shelter and the Doctor had taken off his grey silk cravat, put it in his pocket and loosened his collar a bit. The women were even more unable to take their eyes off him after that. Grace had her jacket off and it rested on her lap. At one point, the Doctor looked down to see her dozing with her head on his shoulder. He smiled. Good. She needed the rest.

While Grace dozed for a few minutes, the Doctor and some of the people who found it hard to sleep, discussed the nature of the raids that night. The Germans seem to have taken to teasing the people of London. The night had been filled with what the Doctor called, "mini-raids". The Germans would fly over London for a brief period, drop bombs, then fly off. They would wait, hoping to give the people a false sense of security, then start bombing again. Some people just gave it up and stayed in the shelters all night, raid or no raid. But, to others, home was the place to be and they would only go to the shelters if they absolutely needed to go and stay only as long as necessary. The Doctor told them how he and Grace had a place near Hampstead Heath and had come into the city for an evening out. It had started out quite nicely. Then the off and on raids had started and they were now trying to get home. They didn't wish to stay in the shelters. After all, he said, they had an excellent shelter at home. Many people understood their desire to get home and wished them luck.

The Doctor had just been asked to sing them another song when the "all-clear" sounded. He was persuaded to sing before they left. Grace woke up just in time to listen. It was her favourite song of the evening. The Doctor had a wonderful voice and did full justice to the song. His audience even applauded him. He bowed modestly and nodded his thanks. Then those who were leaving, said their goodbyes and took their leave.

The Doctor and Grace walked a bit with Arthur and his family to their home a few blocks away. They accepted a cup of tea and talked a bit after the children reluctantly went back to sleep. They were very fond of the Doctor and Grace and were sad to see them go. The feeling was mutual. Finally, they said goodbye to Arthur and Agnes and went on their way.

A while later, they were picking their way carefully through the rubble, the Doctor again asking Grace if she felt all right and reminding her that he intended to give her a complete check-up when they got back to the TARDIS. He also told her what was discussed in the shelter while she slept, about people choosing shelters only if they absolutely had to, preferring to be home whenever they could. He asked if she still preferred to carry on towards the TARDIS, or if she'd rather spend the night in a shelter and go back in the morning.

"No. I'd rather carry on. I somehow feel it's what we're meant to do. You wanted me to learn potential survival skills here and I know I said no place dangerous at first, but I wouldn't have passed this up for worlds. I will never forget this trip here, Doctor. Let's push on." She gave him a tired smile, but he could clearly tell she wanted to keep going.

"That's my Grace. I must say, you've been magnificent tonight. I'm proud of you." The Doctor gave her a one-armed squeeze.

********

"Doctor, I'm getting a bit thirsty. Do you think we could stop and have some of that orange juice?"

"Good idea. I could do with some myself." He turned round. "Here. Can you get it, all right?"

"I think it would be easier, if you took off the haversack and set it on the ground." The Doctor removed the sack and set it on the pavement. Grace had just squatted down and was removing a couple of bottles, when the sound of a vehicle coming at speed could be heard. They looked up in astonishment as a van came careering down the road, heading straight for them with the horn blaring and the driver slumped over the wheel.

The Doctor immediately started running towards the vehicle.

Grace, immediately realising what he intended to do, shouted, "Doctor, be careful!!" But the Doctor had already jumped on the running board and had wrenched open the door. He reached for the brake and pulled sharply. The van stopped - barely three metres in front of a wrought iron railing! The Doctor stepped out, shaking, and just sat on the running board, breathing heavily. Even with moonlight, his excellent night vision, the white lines painted on the kerbs and down the streets, it had been a harrowing and dangerous manoeuvre. Grace dashed over.

"Doctor! Are you all right? Is he all right?" The Doctor pointed to himself and waved a hand to indicate he was fine, just shaken. He shook his head when she asked again about the driver. The man, who looked to be in his mid-sixties, was dead. Grace looked at him. It appeared he had died of a heart attack while driving, causing the van to spin out of control. It took them both several minutes to cope, then the Doctor headed for a police box at the end of the road. Police and an ambulance arrived a few minutes later to take over. The Doctor and Grace both accepted mugs of hot, sweet, milky tea. They didn't want to think about what would have happened, if the Doctor hadn't stopped the van in time. The Doctor's actions, though appallingly dangerous, had indeed been the "lesser of two evils".

After a few minutes, a constable gently asked, "Sir, if you and the lady could come to the station and make a statement, we would be most grateful. Seeing as how you were both the only witnesses."

"Of course, Officer." He held out a hand to help Grace up. "Ready, Grace?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." They went off to describe the incident for the police.

********

They left the police station some time later. The police insisted on them each having a small tissue paper-covered #8 torch to aid them on their way, reminding them to keep them pointing downwards. They also gave them white arm bands to help them become more visible to drivers in the dark. They said their thank yous and left. Just as they got out the door to the station, Grace turned round and knocked gently on the wooden door jam.

The Doctor looked at her curiously. She smiled and said, "For luck. So far, we haven't needed our gas masks. Let's hope we don't."

"That's true, we haven't. I hope we don't, either. Even so, it's better to have it and not need it, then to..."

"...need it and not have it!" Grace finished. "Most definitely." She remembered something she'd been wanting to ask the Doctor for a while now. "I noticed the van that poor man was driving had a curious looking mask-like thing over the headlights. Didn't seem like much help in driving. What was that all about?"

"Blackout regulations. At first, there could be no lights whatsoever. Then, due to all the tragic road accidents that resulted, the regulations were relaxed somewhat. Vehicles could have the masks with three horizontal slits in them and indicator and rear lights were still ordered to be dimmed as at the beginning of the war. Between the changes to headlights, people being advised to "wait, count 15, and go slow", the arm bands, the lines on the streets and kerbs and the tissue paper-covered torches, it helped enough that the number of accidents dropped noticeably. It was pretty much "trial and error" to get the balance right."

"I can understand that. Maybe my eyes have just adjusted to the dark or maybe it's the white lines, but I'm not finding it that hard to get around - especially, with your help, Doctor."

"It's probably all those reasons, or maybe, it's also because you've just eaten enough carrots. You've got good eyes. It helps." He grinned at her.

"Then that must mean, you live on carrots, Doctor! It's your eyesight that's been such a big help!"

"Just call me, "Doctor Carrot", then!" He executed a swift bow.

"Oh, Doctor! And, yes, I saw those "Doctor Carrot" and "Potato Pete" posters in the police station. Something about "Dig For Victory". I take it, you know about that, too. Right?"

"As a matter of fact, I..." He didn't get to finish. Air raid sirens went off. They ran towards a shelter down the road.

Grace complained, breathlessly, "This is getting monotonous!"

"I most heartily agree!" They got to the shelter. It was full-up. It was one of the rather flimsy above ground shelters that many people tried to avoid, but it was better than nothing. Both the Doctor and Grace looked dismayed. There wasn't room for a rat in this particular shelter. One man told them there was a tube station a couple of blocks away. They said thank you and left amid wishes of good luck.

They'd barely gone half a block when there came the sound of buildings collapsing. Dust was travelling their way. The Doctor noticed steps to a basement flat. It had a small courtyard protected by sandbags. He took Grace's hand.

"Down here!" They dashed down the steps to the doorway. The Doctor repositioned a few sandbags to help block the doorway, creating a small well for them to sit in. Barring a direct hit, they would be quite safe. They would stay there till the raid was over. Neither felt comfortable going into a private home, but they didn't mind as their little well should be safe enough. They sat down and Grace snuggled down in the Doctor's arms. The noises were extremely terrifying this time. She was getting quite frightened. She wasn't normally the "flighty" type, but this was her first experience in this kind of atmosphere and with all the terrifying sounds going off and buildings - that were too close for comfort, falling apart, she was very frightened at the moment, more so than she'd been all night - and she'd been frightened enough before. Even though the Doctor had been in wartime before, even he was becoming unusually scared at the moment. Despite their fears, though, neither regretted their trip to London 1942.

"Hold me, Doctor." He held her closer, to help calm her and to keep her warmer. He was getting a bit more frightened himself.

"It's getting noticeably colder, Grace. We should see about getting you a warm hat and scarf. When this raid is over, we'll see what we can find, all right? Would you like to wear my coat? I can manage without it, no problem."

"That's all right, Doctor. I am getting a bit colder, but it's not too bad here. I can manage. But thank you, anyway." She smiled tiredly at him.

"If you change your mind, just let me know, all right? By the way, how's the head?"

"I will. And my head is feeling better, thank you." She murmured. He reached over to give her head a gentle examination.

"Bump's coming up. Still hurts though, doesn't it?"

"Some, but the pain's eased quite a bit."

"I'm definitely taking a better look when we get back to the TARDIS." He put his arm back round her.

She found herself quietly laughing. The Doctor asked her what she was laughing about.

"Back in the teashop. Freud would probably have had a field day with your little linguistic goof." She giggled, gently.

"He probably would. I'm not sure I'd want to hear his analysis, though. He'd probably say it was something to do with my mother." The Doctor chuckled.

"You knew him quite well, then?"

"Well enough."

"Okay, so tell me about the "Dig For Victory" campaign, please. I know it had to do with planting vegetables and people were advised to eat plenty of carrots for their eyesight and potatoes were advised for energy, but what else can you tell me?"

"You seem to know quite a bit already. A lot of land was ploughed up to create vegetable gardens all over England. Though I can't seem to remember any tune, I do remember one of the anthems for the campaign."

"What was it?"

"Let's see. It's been a bit. Oh, yes." He cleared his throat and began:

"Dig! Dig! Dig! And your muscles will grow big  
Keep on pushing the spade  
Don't mind the worms  
Just ignore their squirms  
And when your back aches, laugh with glee  
And keep on diggin'  
Till we give our foes a Wiggin'  
Dig! Dig! Dig! to Victory"

Grace replied, "That's interesting. I'm not sure about the big muscles, or the backaches, but I do agree with growing lots of vegetables! I remember hearing how grandparents couldn't understand why their grandchildren were so healthy during the war, but their health sometimes declined afterwards when they were supposedly better fed. Obviously, the children ate better because there was less junk food during the war and they were probably eating more vegetables than they did before and after the war."

"Obviously. It seems strange that people wouldn't realise that. Hmm. You're not a bad history teacher, yourself, Grace."

They moved onto other topics about the war. The Doctor told Grace more about what "The Women's Voluntary Service" (the "WVS") did during the war and when they got to the "Women's Land Army" (the "WLA"-otherwise known as "Land Girls"), Grace was again able to tell the Doctor something he didn't know. She told him that the "WLA" had started as a volunteer organisation, but ended conscripting women into it. He was quite fascinated by that - as it wasn't a military organisation. Still, he knew far more than she did and she ended up learning an enormous amount about WWII. She was was completely enthralled by it all.

They talked about how, although the people they'd met so far were friendly enough and chatty enough, they were also guarded in what they talked about. They had full respect for the "careless talk" warning. Even the discussion the Doctor had about the raids earlier, while Grace had slept, had been definitely guarded. No one wanted to risk saying anything that could increase an already dangerous situation.

Suddenly, Grace jumped as a fresh round of bombs and other terrifying noises could be heard. She couldn't tell if they were closer or not. The Doctor held her closer and softly sang to calm her. He sang her favourite song of the evening. She missed their walk in Berkeley Square. She would have to get back there sometime in her own time, hopefully with the Doctor. After they got back from this trip, though. She listened to his velvety soft voice. She did feel a bit calmer and when he was finished, she remarked,

"Thanks, Doctor. That was lovely. I feel a bit better. Do you think, when we get out of this, we could come back in my time and take a nice peaceful stroll there? Then we might actually get to hear a nightingale sing."

"What a splendid idea, Grace! I think we could do that." He smiled. The "all-clear" sounded. They'd been so busy talking, they hadn't noticed the noises had quietened down. They got up to leave. After they'd straightened the kinks out of their sore leg muscles, they climbed out of their little "hidey-hole".

********

After walking a bit, they noticed a rather large group of "WVS" women feeding firefighters again. They were about to go over to volunteer their services, when they heard the cry of a small child.

They turned the corner to their right, and there, tucked down in a doorway, was a little girl - about five or six, crying softly to herself.

"May we help you, sweetie?" Grace asked softly.

The little girl looked up with a tear-stained face and said, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

The Doctor smiled gently, and said, "That's very wise advice, but I reckon it will be all right this time. You definitely look like you could some help and we won't harm you. Promise. Now, what's wrong, little one? What's your name? Just your first name will do." He told her kindly.

"Libby."

"That's a very pretty name. Well, Libby, what's the matter?"

"Our house is gone. It was hurt by rubble that fell from a building a little bit away. My friend, Belinda, who looks after me when my mummy works at the WVS, is hurt very badly. She told me to get a constable, but I got lost. Our telephone won't work. I can't get to my daddy 'cause he's a soldier and he's fighting a long ways away. Can you help me find the police station? I can't reach the phone in the call box." Libby started crying again.

Grace sat down beside the little girl and held her. "Of course, we can, dear." She stroked Libby's hair and tried to sooth her.

The Doctor reached into his haversack, and pulled out a fresh packet of biscuits. "Would you like a biscuit, Libby?"

Libby did want a biscuit, but she replied, "I'm not supposed to take things from strangers."

The Doctor laughed, "How about this? We'll take you the nearest police station and we'll give you the biscuits there. The police will make sure we're not trying to hurt you. Will that be all right?"

"I guess so."

"Good. Now let's get you to the police station." He picked her up and they took her to a police station not that far away.

At the station, in between mouthfuls of biscuits that Libby had finally accepted from the Doctor and swallows of milk from the glass that the police sergeant had given her, Libby told them her full name - Libby Freeman, and that she was six years old. She told them her address and where her mother was working tonight. She also told them her friend's name, Belinda Hanover, aged 16, and that Belinda's mother was working with her mummy tonight.

Grace softly chuckled and whispered, "Amazing how a few biscuits and a glass of milk can take away a child's shyness. Seriously, though, she's a very wise child to adhere to her mother's advice about strangers." She added.

"Indeed she is." The Doctor was quite taken with little Libby and hoped she and her mother got some safe shelter for the night.

They listened as the sergeant rang the place where the both mothers were working. They could hear the frightened cries through the phone clear over to where they were sitting. They really felt for both women. This was not a phone call any parent would wish to get. They could imagine how relived Mrs. Freeman was that Libby was all right, but how devastated to learn her home was no more and that the daughter of her dear friend was seriously injured. As for Mrs. Hanover, she would be relieved to know her daughter's injuries weren't life-threatening, but she would still be heartbroken and desperate to be with her daughter.

After the police had made the arrangements for an ambulance, The Doctor, Grace and Libby got into a police car with the constable. They would meet the two women at the hospital where Belinda would be taken. Once they had completed the difficult journey there, and were in Reception, Libby flew into her mother's arms. She and her mother hugged each other very tightly and didn't let go for some time. When they finally parted a bit, Libby gave her mother a potted account of her experience.

Mrs. Freeman smiled at her daughter. "I'm so proud of you, my darling." She gave Libby another squeeze. The little girl had come through the experience with only a number of minor cuts and scratches that Grace had looked over when they met and that were later treated at the police station.

"Then, I'm not in trouble for talking to strangers?" Libby looked at her mother hopefully.

Her mother laughed, "No, of course not, dear! It was an emergency, after all. You had to find help for Belinda and you didn't have much choice. When it comes to strangers, let's put it this way. Under normal circumstances, if you're alone - never! In extreme emergencies, only if you have no other choice, all right?"

"All right. I got lucky this time though, didn't I, Mummy? The Doctor and Grace are really nice, aren't they?"

"Yes, you did and, yes, they are! Very nice people!" Mrs. Freeman looked to the Doctor and Grace and said, "Thank you, both, for looking after Libby. I'm more grateful than I can say."

"We're glad we could help." The Doctor answered.

"I should go see how Belinda is. Libby, darling, I'm afraid you can't come as you're too young. But don't worry, sweetie, Belinda will be fine. She just has a broken leg and a broken arm and a few bumps and bruises. She was lucky the beams kept further rubble from falling on her." She put her daughter down. "Now, will you be a brave girl for Mummy and wait here, while I go see Belinda and her Mummy?" Libby looked sceptical, but nodded.

Grace spoke up, then. "Don't worry, we'll look after her while you go up."

"Oh, would you? Thank you! How would that be, Libby?"

Libby brightened up, immediately. "Oh, yes, please!" The Doctor had worked his magic with children again.

The Doctor kept her amused with magic tricks, funny stories and jokes until Mrs. Freeman and Mrs. Hanover came back. Mrs. Hanover had just come down to express her gratitude to the Doctor and Grace. She had insisted, quite understandably, on spending the night by her daughter's bedside. She'd also given the keys to her home to Mrs. Freeman and insisted on Libby and her mum staying at the Hanover's as long as they needed. Mrs. Freeman told her how grateful she was. Mrs. Hanover smiled and said it would be no trouble.

Mrs. Freeman looked at the Doctor and Grace. "Now, I must do something for you in return!"

The Doctor said, modestly, "That's all right, Mrs. Freeman. We were glad to help."

"Oh, but I insist. Grace, dear, is that all you're wearing? Don't either of you have a hat? I know. I've just collected a new batch of freshly-knitted hats, scarves and gloves from our homeworkers this afternoon. They are for our brave men in battle and, also, for anyone who needs them. People who've lost their homes and such." At this, Mrs. Freeman blushed, but continued on. "I insist you each have a set, in gratitude for all you've done for Libby tonight. Please. They are just in the boot of my car. It will just take a moment to get them."

"Well, if you insist. Thank you. That would be very kind." Grace and the Doctor both said, then smiled.

A few minutes later, after the Doctor and Grace had been presented with their new accessories and everyone had said goodbye, and the Doctor and Libby had told each other another joke or two and both he and Grace had hugged her, they left - amidst advisories to, again, "Mind how you go!"

"Whew!" said Grace when they were out on the pavement. "I'm glad they will all be all right and that Libby and her mother will have a place to stay. That was so good of Mrs. Hanover. It's what anyone would do, though. Still, it was nice of her. And these are lovely! Nice and warm." She smiled, wearing all three items. "It's funny. You said I should have a hat and scarf. Interesting, how things work out, isn't it?" She looked at him. "You're not wearing the hat and scarf?" She could guess why, though.

"It certainly is. No, maybe later, if it gets colder." He had taken off his hat and scarf, and had put them in his pockets. He was just wearing the gloves. "I'm also glad they will all be all right. Little Libby was delightful, wasn't she?" He was going to miss the little lass.

********

"Yes, she was." Grace looked at him. "How far have we gone, by the way?"

"Oh, I'd say we're over half the way to Hampstead Heath. We've been heading steadily northwest. We should get there by dawn - that is, if we need to walk all the way."

"I feel it should be dawn already! This night seems so long!"

"Winter. Sun sets early and rises late. Come on. Let's make time while we can, okay?"

"Okay." They moved along in companionable silence for a bit. They talked off and on about their experiences of the last several hours, but they were both getting tired. And it wasn't long before sirens went off again. They looked at each other and sighed, then took off for a small church not far away. It was full already. They spoke to the vicar. He told them if it would not bother them too much, they could shelter in the entryway to the mausoleum. They would be reasonably safe there. They decided to use it and thanked the vicar. But firstly, they had to take a very necessary break.

The entry to the mausoleum was fairly protected, but cold. Still, it would do. They were too tired to worry about any "occupants" of the mausoleum. They just sat down and huddled together till the mercifully short raid was over. Then they left to continue their trek in the cold back to the TARDIS.

They'd walked a mile or two, before the sirens went off again. There had been fairly long breaks before, but now the Germans seemed to be back to short breaks - too short. And, their luck was beginning to wane as they arrived at yet another full shelter. The Doctor was considering another doorway, when they heard a vehicle stop beside them. It was a taxi. The driver looked out of the window and asked if he could take them somewhere - if they didn't mind a twenty mile an hour journey!

They didn't. "Thank you!" They both chorused and got in. The driver introduced himself.

"Sam Stockton. Just got on. I reckoned I might find a few people who might be out. Where are you headed?"

"Hampstead Heath." The Doctor said.

The driver chuckled. "It might take a bit. These headlights are not particularly effective, but they are better than no lights. You sure you want to go clear to Hampstead Heath? I could take you both to a hotel, if you'd rather not go to a shelter."

"Our home's there. Just as a matter of interest, where is the nearest hotel, that isn't bombed out or full?" The Doctor enquired.

"A bit southwest of here, I believe there are a few."

The Doctor looked at Grace. They both wanted to get back to the TARDIS. "Thank you, anyway, but we'd like to head home." The Doctor told him.

"Right." Sam started the engine and crept along the road.

The Doctor and Grace were quite happy to just sit back and relax. The Doctor's haversack rested on the floor of the taxi. Their supplies were gone, but it didn't matter as the Doctor was only planning on the driver taking them as far as the bottom of the hill where the TARDIS waited. Sam went slowly, but surely - aided by the moonlight and the white lines in the street and on the kerbs. The three of them spoke little as Grace and the Doctor were tired and Sam needed to concentrate on his driving. He managed to take them quite far and had just passed a tube station when the sirens went off, waking up Grace and the Doctor, who'd both dozed the last ten minutes of the ride. The driver parked as close as he could to the station and they dashed out and down the steps. It wasn't that long till dawn and the Doctor and Grace sincerely hoped it was the last raid of the night!

The three of them sat together and talked at first. They spoke quietly as virtually every other person in the shelter was asleep. It was just after New Year's 1942 and Sam asked them if they'd been in London to some do or other.

"Something like that." The Doctor smiled. "A friend brought us in, but got called away and we soon got caught up in everything. It's been quite a night." He chuckled.

"I can imagine. So you've both been making your way home on foot? Didn't take any buses or taxis?" Sam looked at them curiously.

"We never really got round to it. Did take a police car, though." The Doctor replied.

"Police car??"

Yes, we found a lost little girl who's home was destroyed and her minder was seriously injured. We all rode in the police car to hospital to meet her mother. Her minder's going to be fine, just broken bones."

"Sounds like you've had quite a night."

"We have indeed. Between little Libby, Grace's argument with two collapsing walls and the ghost from number 50 Berkeley Square, it's been some night indeed!" The Doctor told him.

"An "argument" with collapsing walls?? The ghost from number 50?? Sounds something! You are all right, then?" Sam asked Grace.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a hell of a bump as a reminder." Grace laughed ruefully. The pain had pretty much eased up and she felt better than she had since her injury.

"And the ghost? Did you see him?"

"No, thank goodness! But he did scare the bejeebers out of us with a light show and plenty of racket! The Germans must love him!" Grace added.

"Well, we're safe enough here, barring a direct hit. When this raid is over, I'll take you to your place in Hampstead Heath."

"That would be very kind of you, Sam. Thank you." The Doctor said, gratefully.

"I would love to ride back. I could use the rest! Thanks!" Grace replied, also grateful for Sam's offer.

"Right then, will do. Be my pleasure. Look, if the pair of you are tired, why don't you get a bit of kip here? I'll keep watch. I've already had plenty of sleep and I've got a book here in my pocket. So, please, by all means, enjoy a little rest. From what you've told me, you've both well earnt it."

"That is a splendid idea. Thanks, again." The Doctor actually yawned. Within five minutes, he and Grace had fallen asleep, sharing the Doctor's haversack as a pillow. Sam became engrossed in his book, but he kept an eye on them, as promised.

********

An hour later, both the Doctor and Grace had woken up. They felt a bit better, but they would both be sleeping the whole of the next day when they got back to the TARDIS. Now though, they were having quite a chat with Sam.

Sam mentioned that he could murder a nice Woolton Pie. Grace said that, although she'd heard the name, she didn't know exactly what it was. Sam told her the ingredients and said it hadn't become particularly popular, but that he, himself, was quite fond of it.

"Hmm. It is unusual." Grace remarked. "But it sounds okay. I wonder why it's not very popular?"

The Doctor answered. "Maybe, it was the combination of potatoes, turnips and oatmeal. I knew a man once. He was in the Royal Navy. He was fed turnips as a child and ended up never touching them as an adult. Hated them. I doubt he'd be a fan of Woolton Pie. Now, me, I just might try it when we get home. How about you, Grace?"

"All right, but only if you leave off the gravy. I'm not a lover of gravy."

Sam looked aghast! "But that's one of the best bits for me!" He grinned.

Grace quipped, "Then that means more for you and I don't have to have any!"

The Doctor laughed. "That's a good way of looking at it." They moved onto other aspects of the "Dig For Victory" campaign. Sam agreed that all the vegetables the children were eating would certainly contribute to their better health. Then Sam asked about their adventures during the night and raised an eyebrow at their unusual bit of "breaking and entering" at the teashop and the corner shops. But he did understand why. Then the Doctor had them all laughing at the probable looks on all the shopkeepers' faces, when they opened up in the morning and found money and explanatory notes in their tills and their speculations on the individuals who'd been in their shops in the middle of the night. It might wind up an interesting little bit on the news reels the next day! They all laughed at that. The Doctor and Grace laughed for another reason. They knew the "miscreants" would be long gone the next day - VERY long gone! The Doctor also told Sam that he'd used a special "skeleton key" and there would be no damage to the locks on any of the shop doors.

It wasn't long after that, that the "all-clear" sounded and they went out to a very big shock! During the raid, a large piece of masonry had dropped on Sam's taxi and had completely crushed it! The language that came out of Sam's mouth was decidedly unprintable! When he came anywhere near to calming down and after calling the culprits some very choice names, he remembered Grace and realised she had heard everything!

"Oh, my dear lady! I am sorry! I completely forgot there was a lady present! Please, forgive me!"

Both the Doctor and Grace laughed and Grace answered, "It's all right, I assure you! You had excellent cause and it's nothing I haven't heard before." Then she asked him, "What will you do now?"

"I'm afraid I'll be walking, just like you both will be. I'll have to wait till later in the morning to see to everything. I'm sorry I can't give you two the ride I promised."

"That's all right. It's not your fault. Don't worry. We'll be fine. Thank you for the help you have given us. It was most appreciated." The Doctor told him. They said their goodbyes and wished Sam good luck. He reciprocated and then they headed in opposite directions.

********

The Doctor and Grace hadn't really all that far to go any more. They had come quite a way from the northeast corner of Green Park and the Ritz hotel. In some ways - with all that had happened, the Ritz seemed like days, if not weeks, ago. They walked for a good half hour and then ran into another group of the WVS feeding firefighters. This time it was a very large group involving two divisions of the National Fire Service. Grace and the Doctor looked at each other and had the same thought. They moved in the group's direction.

This time their participation was to be quite different to their first experience with the WVS. These people were just as friendly and appreciative of the Doctor's and Grace's offers of help as the first group, but as it turned out, it was Grace's medical skills and the Doctor's physical strength that were needed. Several firefighters had suffered injuries and Grace was kept busy administering first aid till ambulances arrived. The Doctor was given protective clothing and actually helped wield a firehose! It was not easy. It wasn't so much the weight of it, but the difficulty of keeping it in position to get the water where it was needed. The Doctor did reasonably well and developed an even healthier respect for these men than before. Grace was beginning to get a tiny inkling of what it must be like for doctors on the battlefields. It was tough enough in this atmosphere. The danger on a battlefield must be unimaginable. Her respect for these brave people also grew even more.

When things had finally quietened down, everyone took a well-deserved rest. They still kept alert as the "all-clear" hadn't sounded. It was a desperately needed respite - however brief it might be, and they took it. Grace and the Doctor were given tea and sandwiches. They were very much in need of refreshment. They chatted with some of the women, who told them about life in the WVS. They listened with great interest as did the women when they heard of the Doctor's and Grace's adventures. Then the sound of planes could be heard and it all started again.

When the "all-clear" finally sounded, everyone was exhausted. The Doctor and Grace took a few minutes rest before they left to finally get back to the TARDIS. Then, as with all their new friends that night, there were heartfelt thank yous and then goodbyes and the tired pair were on their way to, hopefully, finally make it back to the TARDIS! They had barely more than a mile to go.

While they walked the final distance home, Grace said how much she missed her lovely fourposter and the Doctor had to agree. He had to admit he missed his own fourposter as well. She also mentioned that she was desperate for a nice long bath! The Doctor had to agree with her on that as well! Then he turned to Grace and asked her what she'd learnt from their time in London 1942.

She paused for a bit to collect her thoughts. Then she began, "Well, for a start, things certainly don't go as planned, do they, Doctor?"

"No, they don't. Even I could never have predicted the things that happened to us during this trip."

"I'm still marvelling over the incredible bravery and spirit of these people. They never became down or disheartened. They just dealt with every situation as it came up. They did a marvellous job of looking on the bright side. They seem to know everything would work out. Even Libby - just a little girl, but though she quite naturally cried, she just did as she was told and got help. The way she insisted on adhering to her mother's instructions on strangers - incredible! She's proof that people of any age can get through such difficulty with bravery and determination. It's good, sometimes, that things don't always go as planned. You find skills you didn't know you had." She stopped for a minute. "Sorry. My mind's just swimming with all that's happened to us tonight. Impressions are just tumbling over themselves to be expressed. Ask me again after we've slept and I'll do better at relating them all. There's so much. This was an incredible night I'll not forget, Doctor. Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're very welcome, Grace. And I think you've done very well. And think of the things you taught me about WWII. I was most impressed. Thank you, Grace. I've been very proud of you tonight - but you're right, we can talk after we've had a proper rest." The Doctor suddenly whirled round at the sound. "Oh no! Not again!" They sighed and dashed down some steps to another doorway during, yet another, raid. This one was very short, though, and about twenty minutes later, they got up and went out. It seemed that the Germans were sending about a half dozen pilots over on a rota basis to annoy and confuse people already weary from a very long night. It was annoying. The Doctor and Grace hoped, as they had to be very close, that they could make it back to the TARDIS without further incident.

They had walked through a particularly nasty bit of rubble and gone through some trees, when the Doctor looked to Grace and said,

"Grace, look!" There at the top of a small hill, in front of some trees, stood the TARDIS. Grace nearly passed out with relief. They started to climb, certain their troubles were over - when they heard the sound of bullets. They ran.

A straggling and smartass German pilot had spotted the two people in the moonlight between gathering rain clouds and had decided to use his last bit of ammunition in a strafing run-style attack at them. Bullets rained in their direction while the pilot laughed.

"Run, Grace, run!" The Doctor shouted. He was right behind her - for about two minutes. Then he was winged by one of the bullets and he fell to the ground, clutching his left calf. Grace ran back. He shouted at her to keep going, that he would be all right. But she came back as she wouldn't leave him. The pilot had left as he had no more ammunition. Grace bent to check the Doctor's wound. It was nasty, but only a flesh wound. His Time Lord healing powers would take care of it eventually, but Grace wasn't going to wait. She was going to take care of him now. He tried to get up, protesting that he would be fine, but she pushed him back down to the ground. It was starting to rain and the TARDIS was still thirty metres away. She didn't want him to fall with an open wound and get an infection that even he couldn't deal with. He kept trying to get up to prove it wasn't that bad, but she pushed him back again, saying,

"Now who's the stubborn doctor/patient?" She grinned. "Stay down! I'm going to take care of this, now!" She gave him a look he didn't dare argue with.

"I'd say we're both "stubborn doctors"!" He grinned.

"Just lie still!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" He stayed down, grinning, despite the pain. She took out his handkerchief and used the well-timed rain to moisten it. Then she bathed his leg and used his cravat as a bandage. They were a pair. Though it wasn't too large - yet, she had her bump on her head and a few scratches here and there and the Doctor had a bandaged leg showing through his torn trouser leg. He would limp a bit when they went up the hill the rest of the way to the TARDIS, but he was all right.

"Thank you, Grace!" He smiled.

"Any time, Doctor!" She smiled back.

Just out of curiosity, he took out the recall device and tried it. Now its power went on! Typical. They didn't need it now. They laughed. She helped him to stand and, just then, the first hints of dawn arrived. The Doctor started to sing, "When dawn came stealing up all gold and blue.." She laughed as he took her in his arms and they began to dance. The TARDIS continued the song from where she stood on the hill. Then, just as the sun peeked over the horizon and with the rain still gently falling, they shared a kiss as the TARDIS waited patiently nearby.

The End


End file.
